Structured like the Peanuts book Happiness Is a Warm Puppy
(but without all the charm), Doughty's (39 Uses for a Friend
) picture book most resembles an elaborate greeting card. The title page hints at a Valentine theme with an illustration of a rabbit at the top of the stairs anxiously awaiting a pig who stands at the bottom hiding an envelope, sealed with a heart. Pig's verses to his friend brim with praise. "I believe you are to me.../ the very best the best can be./ .../ You're roller skate,/ you're sun and moon,/ you're bicycle,/ you're May and June." The illustrations exude the pig's enthusiasm. The porcine protagonist does handstands to "You're ultrabest, the superfest,/ you're marvelest,/you're bluebird nest." Although some of the verses make more sense than others, the text often strains for a rhyme or an idea. Doughty's childlike, flat watercolors often show the characters silhouetted against a white background (making valentines, sharing a snack), then horseback riding or water sliding against full-bleed spreads. Whether pig and rabbit are flying kites or catching lightning bugs, the pair shares more adoring glances than they do fun, but the affection shared here is right on target for the elementary school crowd. Ages 4-8. (Feb.)
